Ford Sanand plant to inaugurate on 26 March, 2015

Ford India’s new car manufacturing plant near Sanand in Gujarat is being prepped for commencement this month. Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister of Gujarat, will inaugurate the plant, in presence of US Consulate, on 26th March, 2015.

Ford Sanand plant was commissioned when the country’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, was the Chief Minister of the state, in 2012.

Investment for the new facility amounts to a massive sum of $1 billion (Rs. 6,278 crores). While the production capacity is 2.5 lakh cars per annum, initially the American automaker will utilise only a part of it, to make around 1.4 – 1.5 lakh units. On an average, the Ford Sanand plant will churn out 800 – 900 cars per day, in 2015. Given that Indian market is currently not demanding so much volume from Ford India, the company is working on expanding export operations from 50 to around 100 – 120 markets in due course, to make the Sanand plant contribute the largest part of shipment from India.

New Ford Sanand plant will take care of producing upcoming Ford Figo sedan and hatchback, replacing current generation Figo and Classic sedan, respectively. The new generation Ford Figo concept was unveiled in India at a press conference on the eve of 2014 Delhi Auto Expo.

The Figo twins have already been launched in Brazil, as Ford Ka and Ka+ (sedan). In India, the sedan version which would be named Ford Figo Aspire, is expected to launch in July, while the hatchback model is likely to hit showrooms in September 2015.